The exercises of chin-ups and pull-ups have been known for decades as an excellent means for conditioning the upper body. In this regard, the individual performing such exercises grabs an elevated bar, which typically comprises an elongate, tubular structure, with both hands and repetitiously pulls himself or herself upwardly such that the head and chin extend over the bar. Thereafter, the individual descends such that he or she loosely hangs from the elevated bar. To perform chin-ups, the individual grasps the elevated bar such that the palms of each respective hand face inwardly toward the individual as the individual performs the exercise. Pull-ups, in contrast, require the individual to grasp the elevated bar such that the individual's palms face outwardly during the performance of such exercises.
Both chin-ups and pull-ups are known to be particularly effective in strengthening and toning the muscles of the upper body. Specifically, each respective exercise is ideal in developing the bicep, tricep, deltoid, trapezius, pectoralis major and latissimus dorsi muscle groups. In this regard, the chin-up and pull-up motion provides controlled movement of the limbs and relies upon coordinated relaxation and contraction of opposing muscles. For example, to raise the body during chin-up exercises, the biceps contract and shorten while the triceps relax. The reverse scenario occurs when the body is lowered.
Notwithstanding the effective and efficient conditioning that is provided by chin-up and pull-up exercises, such exercises suffer from significant drawbacks. The most significant of these drawbacks is the fact that most individuals lack the upper body strength to perform so much as even one chin-up or pull-up. In this regard, it is recognized that both chin-ups and pull-ups require a requisite degree of upper body strength to perform the same. Such requisite strength level, however, is lacking in most individuals insofar as most individuals either never have or fail to regularly exercise.
The other significant drawback of such exercises is due to the fact that to perform such exercises, the entire weight of the individual must necessarily be supported by the hands of the individual, and in particular the flexor muscles thereof. In this respect, the individual must tightly clench the elevated bar which causes the flexor muscles of the hand, and in particular the adductor muscles of the thumb and fingers, as well as the interosseous muscles of the palm, to quickly become sore due to a rapid development of lactic acid that builds up therewithin as caused by the stress and strain of having to pull and lift the weight of the individual against the force of gravity. As such, even to the extent the individual possesses upper body strength to perform multiple repetitions of either chin-ups or pull-ups, such inability to continuously hold onto the elevated bar and support the body's weight for a sufficiently long duration prevents the individual from maximizing the benefit to be derived from such exercise.
In an attempt to address such shortcomings posed by the inability of many to perform chin-up and pull-up exercises, at least one manufacturer, namely, Stairmaster Exercise Systems, Inc. of Tulsa, Oklahoma, has devised an exercise device sold as the Gravitron.RTM. (a registered trademark of Stairmaster) which enables individuals to perform chin-up and pull-up exercises at a controlled rate that minimizes hand muscle fatigue. Such device comprises a network of support bars for performing, inter alia, pull-ups and chin-ups, in combination with a programmable pneumatic platform device that provides selective degrees of support to the legs of the user to thus enable the user to do multiple repetitions of chin-ups, pull-ups, and the like that the individual would not otherwise be able to perform. Such system, however, is known to be extremely expensive and is typically only utilized in sophisticated workout facilities. Additionally, due to the sophisticated equipment utilized in the operation of such exercise system, such system is known to require substantial routine maintenance and must necessarily be kept indoors at all times, which thwarts the ability of chin-up and pull-up exercises to be easily performed per conventional methods, insofar as such exercises typically require nothing more than a simple elevated bar.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an exercise bar that can be utilized for chin-up and pull-up exercises that more evenly distributes the stress and strain imparted to the bones, muscles and ligaments of the hands than prior art tubular exercise bars. There is additionally a need in the art for an improved exercise bar that facilitates the ability of individuals to perform multiple repetitions of chin-up and pull-up exercises by minimizing the degree of fatigue experienced by the individual's hands during the performance of such exercises that is of simple construction, may be readily fabricated from a wide variety of commercially available materials, and may be deployed as per conventional tubular exercise bars, whether it be indoors or outdoors.